In the coming months and years MidCoast residents will hear the term FOGO talked about around the region.
To align with State Government regulations all Councils including MidCoast Council must adopt a Food Organic and Garden Organic (FOGO) waste program by 2030.
While MidCoast Council accepts there is still some time before the imposed deadline, planning for the project is underway and residents may notice expressions of interest for tenders being put out in the community in the near future.
There will be a number of changes for the community when it comes to their waste services that Council will be forced to adopt as a result, but Director of Liveable Communities – Paul De Szell said there is plenty of time to prepare.
"The State Government is saying the FOGO program must be in place by 2030 at the latest but we are aiming for a timeline of about three years," he said.
"There will be changes in the way the communities rubbish will be processed but it's important to note that many other Councils have already adopted the initiative and by all accounts it works very well".
"It may take the community a little while to get used to it, but it will be worth it in the end."
The project will impact every resident that currently has a three-bin service which is approximately 38,000 households.
It is one of the largest changes that will be delivered by Council's Waste Services team in the next 10 years.
"FOGO is a proven service in over 40 local government areas in NSW that improves the environmental performance of waste disposal by avoiding organic waste being disposed to landfill and reducing the harmful greenhouse gas emissions emitted during the decomposition of organic waste in landfill," Mr De Szell said.
"FOGO also promotes the circular management of organic waste as the FOGO material is processed into valuable soil and compost products that can be utilised across a range of agricultural and domestic uses."
Keep an eye out for more on the FOGO initiative as it is rolled out.
